The greatest power of the nobility comes from blood itself.
The nobler the lineage, the more rights one can claim.
And when it came to House Valdeck, which even shared blood with the imperial family, it went without saying.
‘We even have succession rights to the throne. As long as the imperial bloodline isn’t extinguished, our turn will never come, but still.’
In other words, in an emergency, they could also claim rights to the throne.
In times of peace, such a claim would be a worthless absurdity, but in an era of chaos, it became possible.
That was how vast the privileges granted by the Valdeck bloodline were.
Among all of Lucian’s possessions, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the greatest was that innate right granted by Valdeck blood.
And on top of that, although his maternal family held no real power, he also inherited the royal bloodline of the north.
‘If I had strength of my own and a reasonable justification, I could reign as a legitimate monarch at any moment.’
Lucian recalled the conversation he had just had with Jordi and let out a mocking laugh.
Not take anything? Fail together if he didn’t become head of the family?
It was ridiculous.
“That won’t do, brother. If there’s such an obvious silk-covered path laid out in front of me, why wouldn’t I take it?”
He understood his anxiety.
Unlike Lucian, Jordi’s maternal family had only existed for three generations and came from merchants.
If he fell out of the competition for the family headship, he’d likely never step onto that stage again.
And seeing that Lucian—whom he had believed to be in the same position—had the ability to become independent at any time must have deeply unsettled him.
But Lucian had no reason to follow Jordi’s rules.
“I use what I have, and you use what you have. Isn’t that how the world works? Damnably unfair and absurd.”
In his past life, Lucian had been crushed to death by that injustice.
Jordi, on the other hand, had ruled over it while competing with his brothers.
Now that their positions had been reversed, Lucian didn’t feel the slightest bit of sympathy.
***
For two months, Lucian trained his body thoroughly.
Since he was heading to the battlefield, no amount of training would ever be enough.
Fortunately, having decided to focus on destructive power rather than refined technique, the training itself was simple, and the results were satisfying.
Bang!
“Hah!”
Hearing the air explode, Lucian smiled in satisfaction.
He was still far from what Eisen had shown him, but in terms of destructive force, he was exceptional.
To the point where, if he fought his past self now, he could secure victory in a single exchange.
‘Unless it’s a famous knight, the moment our swords clash, it’s over. Well, that’s assuming my sword holds up.’
Lucian recalled the sword that had shattered not long ago and let out a bitter smile.
It had been a pretty good blade, so the more he thought about it, the more regrettable it seemed.
He had brought it under the pretense of logistical support for the mission, so even if he asked for a new one, he wasn’t sure they’d give him anything of equal quality.
‘No, wait a moment. Come to think of it, I’m going to war, aren’t I?’
If he presented it well, couldn’t he use that as justification to ask for a new sword?
The matter was much more serious now than before, so maybe they’d even give him something better.
‘Doesn’t hurt to ask.’
“Young master! The duke is here!”
“What? My father?”
Lucian, who had been lost in thought, jumped at Hans’s shout and turned his head.
He hurried to tidy his clothes, but before he could, Duke Sigmund entered the training grounds.
“Father, forgive my appearance…”
“There’s no need for formality in a private setting. I’m pleased to see you training so diligently.”
Looking satisfied at the sight of Lucian drenched in sweat, the duke clapped twice. Clap, clap. Soon after, the servants arrived carrying something.
“I actually came because a gift has arrived for you.”
“A gift…? Is it armor and a sword?”
“Do you like them?”
Lucian nodded immediately.
At a glance, it was obvious that it was an extraordinary sword.
The duke smiled at Lucian’s awestruck face and handed him the sword.
“Draw it.”
“Are you sure I can?”
“You must test the edge of the weapon you’re going to wield for yourself.”
At those words, Lucian gave a small nod and unsheathed the sword.
The blade slid out so smoothly it made almost no sound.
Lucian admired the perfectly balanced weight and the sharp edge that fit snugly in his hand.
“It’s an excellent sword. Doesn’t seem like ordinary steel.”
“I’ve mixed in a suitable amount of adamantium. Not much, but even if you use it roughly, it’ll hardly break.”
At the word “adamantium,” Lucian’s eyes widened.
The king of metals—the hardest of them all.
He had heard that even a tiny amount would drastically increase a weapon’s durability.
That’s why its price was astronomical, and in his past life, he had only ever seen it from afar.
“Wow, I must look like a rabbit.”
“Anyone would be surprised to hear it has adamantium mixed in. Are you sure it’s okay for me to receive this sword?”
“Of course. If you’re going to the battlefield in my place and putting yourself in danger, it would be ridiculous for you to carry a mediocre weapon. And besides…”
The duke gave a signal, and the servants brought down an armor stand along with the armor.
It was a beautiful set, where white and blue were combined in a strange yet elegant fashion.
“On the battlefield, defense is just as important as the weapon. Like the sword, this is also for you.”
“It looks magnificent, but it seems to be just a breastplate. There aren’t any other pieces.”
While admiring the surface that clearly showed a master craftsman’s hand,
Lucian voiced his doubt.
The duke smiled wordlessly and helped him put on the armor.
Only once Lucian had it on did the duke speak.
“Now, circulate your mana.”
“Here?”
“No need for full circulation. Just send mana to the center of your chest.”
Putting the breastplate on him and then suddenly asking him to circulate mana.
Though confused, Lucian obeyed and let the mana flow. In that instant—
Whoosh!
“…!”
The moment a fixed amount of mana gathered in his chest, the breastplate expanded and covered his entire body.
Arms, legs, between the fingers, and even the head.
Amazingly, as it wrapped around him, it didn’t catch on his skin or hair.
In less than ten seconds, the breastplate had transformed into a full set of armor.
“Magical armor…!”
Realizing what it truly was, Lucian was stunned.
The pinnacle of technology, only manufactured with the emperor’s permission and the cooperation of court mages.
In his past life, he had only seen it once, when visiting the capital—and the commander of the imperial guard had been wearing it.
And now, he was wearing it himself.
“It’s a suit of armor that the second head of the family once received as a gift from the founding emperor of his time. It’s a valuable item, no doubt, but as one of the earliest models, its performance is the lowest. Over the generations, more suits like it were accumulated, and this one had no clear use. You may keep it.”
“Even so, it’s magical armor. Even if the performance is lower, it’s still among the finest in the world.”
At the duke’s casual tone, Lucian clicked his tongue.
Surely, a family like the Valdecks could receive such gifts from the empire, but only for occasions as significant as the head of house’s investiture ceremony.
No matter how many they had gathered, it wasn’t something to be handed out so lightly.
It was clear the duke was downplaying its value on purpose to ease the burden.
“From your face, you look stunned. What is it? Aren’t you happy?”
“Of course I am. But… isn’t this too much? After all, it’s only a rebellion suppression mission, and yet you give me an adamantium sword and magical armor.”
“Yes, you’re right. To be honest, I think so too.”
Accepting Lucian’s words without hesitation, the duke’s smile faded.
In its place appeared an unease that was hard to describe.
“No matter how strong Krephelt is among the vassal states, it can’t compare to the empire. A rebellion should be no more than a small tremor. And yet, I can’t shake this feeling of unease.”
“Do you suspect something?”
“No. It’s just a hunch. Someone might laugh and say it’s baseless nonsense, but I’ve always had this feeling before something big happens. And also…”
The duke paused and looked at Lucian.
“Your attitude when asking for full authority also made me think. It didn’t feel like you were just chasing fame. It felt like you had already prepared to throw yourself into danger and came afterward to ask permission.”
“…I can’t see the future, so that’s not possible.”
Inside, Lucian flinched, but he kept a straight face.
He knew Duke Sigmund was exceptional, but did he have some kind of prophetic intuition?
Fortunately, the duke only looked at him briefly before nodding with understanding.
“That’s true. Still, being thoroughly prepared before entering the battlefield never hurts. Keep it and use it well. And again, it’s not a loan—it’s a gift. You don’t need to return it.”
“Thank you. I’ll never forget my father’s kindness.”
“There’s no need for talk of kindness between father and son. Just make sure you return safely. And don’t do anything too dangerous. Even if you gain fame, it’s meaningless if there’s no one to enjoy it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
After saying that, Duke Sigmund left the training grounds with the servants.
Even so, he still seemed concerned, turning back several times to glance at Lucian.
Hans, who had watched everything silently, approached with sparkling eyes only after the duke disappeared.
“Heavens above! Young master, since when have you received such favor from His Grace? An adamantium sword and magical armor! Not even young master Tristan has received anything like that!”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure whether to call it favor or just good instinct.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“That there really are extraordinary people in this world. My father is one of them.”
“…?”
Lucian left Hans, who remained confused, and redirected mana to his chest.
The magical armor reacted and returned to its original form—a breastplate.
As he stroked the armor and the sword, Lucian gave a bitter smile.
‘Sorry. After he’s gone to such lengths to prepare these treasures for me, it looks like I’ll have to do something a little dangerous.’
But there was one thing he could promise.
To return alive.
As the duke said, fame means nothing if there’s no one left to enjoy it.
As Lucian calmly inspected the gear, a new concern suddenly crossed his mind.
‘…But won’t my brothers have something to say after seeing I received gifts like these?’
***
Just as Lucian had predicted, the side effects of receiving such excessive gifts appeared immediately.
As soon as word spread that he had received an adamantium sword and even magical armor, all three brothers went to see the duke at once.
“Father, no matter how I think about it, this is too much. Even granting the adamantium sword—magical armor?”
“And one that was a gift from the emperor to the second head of the family! That’s not just any armor, it’s a treasure of immeasurable worth.”
“Is that kind of equipment really necessary just to suppress a rebellion from a vassal state? Wouldn’t it be better to simply assign more troops to the young master?”
Amid the flood of protests, the duke calmly looked at his sons and spoke.
“If you’re dissatisfied, then one of you can go instead of the third to suppress the rebellion. In that case, I’ll take back what I gave him and give it to you instead.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
At Duke Sigmund’s words, the three brothers fell silent all at once.
____
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